The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    So I picked up a player plus Telecaster a while back and did some upgrades to the electronics. I did not love the stock pickups so I replaced the neck and bridge with humbuckers. Single coils are out as I get hum in my apartment which I simply cannot stand. The neck pickup I went with was a Seymour Duncan '59 as one of my favorite players Mike Stern uses it and I figured I could try to replicate that and go from there. However, I've found the pickup to be quite ice-picky especially in the upper registers. It seems this is most likely attributable to the fact that the '59 uses an Alnico 5 magnet and the Telecaster I have is already somewhat bright. Because of that I've decide to get a nice Alnico 2 magnet pickup and narrowed it down to the following three:

    1. Seymour Duncan Seth Lover

    2. Seymour Duncan Antiquity

    3. Gibson '57 Classic

    I already have an archtop so I'm not trying to replicate that sound. Instead I would like something that is simply warmer for mostly single line playing while not losing too much of that Telecaster sparkle if that is possible. If it makes any difference I am running both my instruments through a Quilter 101 Reverb. Thanks for any inputs.

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  3. #2

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    Obviously, this will be a subjective opinion, but I'd say go with the Gibson 57 Classic. This may not be the most accurate comparison to a Tele, but I have a set in my Les Paul.... and I stay on the neck pickup because I love the tone so much. By adjusting the volume and tone controls I receive a great jazz tone that's similar to a Hollowbody without being so much alike that it's indistinguishable. The Duncan pickups in general, while very nice in their own right, seem to me to be just a touch more "bitey" and "punchy" and a tad more 'Burst, rock and roll, classic rock record sounding. The 57 Classic is a little more round, soft, and smooth to my ear. Granted, I haven't tried all 3 pickups in the same guitar. Three different pickup sets in the different Les Pauls.

    Cleary, a Les Paul and a Tele will by default have different tonal characteristics due to the makeup with the same pickups, but if I were to put a Humbucker in the neck of my Tele, I'd start with the 57 Classic and go from there.

    Again, just my opinion.

    Cheers.

  4. #3

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    You could simply replace the magnet in the pickup you already have.

  5. #4

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    Quote Originally Posted by Stringswinger
    You could simply replace the magnet in the pickup you already have.
    .... or that.

  6. #5

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    To complicate the matters more, each of these pickups have slightly overwound versions that sound darker with thicker mids. Since you're gonna pair them with a bright guitar, these might be an option.

    Overwound versions are generally intended for the bridge position but I like Classic 57+'s in the neck position as well.

  7. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by chris32895
    So I picked up a player plus Telecaster a while back and did some upgrades to the electronics. I did not love the stock pickups so I replaced the neck and bridge with humbuckers. Single coils are out as I get hum in my apartment which I simply cannot stand. The neck pickup I went with was a Seymour Duncan '59 as one of my favorite players Mike Stern uses it and I figured I could try to replicate that and go from there. However, I've found the pickup to be quite ice-picky especially in the upper registers. It seems this is most likely attributable to the fact that the '59 uses an Alnico 5 magnet and the Telecaster I have is already somewhat bright. Because of that I've decide to get a nice Alnico 2 magnet pickup and narrowed it down to the following three:

    1. Seymour Duncan Seth Lover

    2. Seymour Duncan Antiquity

    3. Gibson '57 Classic

    I already have an archtop so I'm not trying to replicate that sound. Instead I would like something that is simply warmer for mostly single line playing while not losing too much of that Telecaster sparkle if that is possible. If it makes any difference I am running both my instruments through a Quilter 101 Reverb. Thanks for any inputs.
    I think the whole Alnico V is bright vs Alnico II is dark can be misleading - more things contribute to the pickup's sound than the magnet. I've never had a tele, only archtops or semis, but I've found the Classic 57 to be too muddy. I use a SD Alnico Pro II these days and it's much better - and they're both Alnico II and have similar specs.

    Contrary to what we believe, most 60s PAF's came with Alnico V and a lot of the jazz sounds we revere were probably made with them. The whole Alnico II buzz comes, I believe, from the hype around 1959 Les Pauls and the humbuckers they used.

    Gibson PAF Humbuckers: Why Are They So Revered, and How Do They Really Sound? | GuitarPlayer

    "Part way through 1961, Gibson became more consistent in its use of Alnico V magnets. "

    Sadowsky guitars, for example, come stock with a DiMarzio 36th, an Alnico V pickup - and there's plenty of examples of those guitars not sounding "ice pick" like.

    I've always found pickups and amp speakers to be the hardest component to choose. As much as we try to be "scientific" about it, the only way to know how they will sound is to buy one and try. I had a Classic 57 and a Stormy Monday in my archtop and in the end the pickup I enjoy the most is endorsed by Slash, go figure.

    Hope you find a pickup that solves your problem, probably someone with a Tele humbucker will chime in and help.

  8. #7

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    I have a 27 year old American Tele that I put a 57 Classic in probably 20 years ago. I primarily play jazz in either a trio or quartet situation playing out about 5-10 times per month. I play through a Quilter Mach 2. I have both the HD and the standard with the Celestion it and use both. I also have a Sadowsky Jimmy Bruno.

    While the Telecaster is not perfect from a tonal standpoint it is pretty close. The Tele does not have the original neck on it. I had a Warmoth neck put on about 10 years ago and it really opened up the sound. The Classic 57 is consistent and get a great sound. By the way the Tele gets way more use than the Sadowsky and if I had to choose one I would take the Tele.

    Good luck!

  9. #8

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    I bought a G&L ASAT (solid korina body) with a Seth in the neck. It was cool, but lacking in the girth and roundness I desired, so I swapped in a SD Phat Cat (noise free, humbucker-sized P90) and it is perfect for that guitar.

    My point is, you might need to try a couple of pickups until you find the one that sounds best in your Tele.

  10. #9

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    I generally have defaulted to '57 classics and would call it a go-to but I currently have a SD Jazz in the neck of my main gig axe, with a '57 in the bridge. I'm pretty certain I could use any of the pickups the OP listed including the '59 and get solid results as they are all quality made, reasonably low output alnico humbuckers.

    It really pays to take time playing with the height and polepiece settings along with your guitar's tone knob. A muddy pickup can be made brighter and bright pickup can be tamed. Also, what might seem bright at home can be just right at a gig so I always make sure to take that into consideration before I jump ship on something, like say the Duncan '59. There is a tendency to look for excessively fat and rich tone when there aren't any other instruments competing with you for sonic space but it doesn't always translate to a band situation.

  11. #10

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    An SD 59 is a great pickup. If the volume pot is a 500, switching to a 250 may be just the ticket at a fraction of the price of a new pickup.

  12. #11

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    Get in touch with Pete Biltoft at Vintage Vibe and tell him what you want to do and he'll build it for you. He'll do whichever footprint you need and use the magnets of your choice and usually gives you a spare set to experiment with. Great service and his products are first rate. He's in Honolulu but I've had him get pickups to me in 4 days. You can't go wrong with his stuff.

  13. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by Skip Ellis
    Get in touch with Pete Biltoft at Vintage Vibe and tell him what you want to do and he'll build it for you. He'll do whichever footprint you need and use the magnets of your choice and usually gives you a spare set to experiment with. Great service and his products are first rate. He's in Honolulu but I've had him get pickups to me in 4 days. You can't go wrong with his stuff.
    I do agree 100% on Pete B. When did he move to Hawaii? Thought he was in FLA. Not that it matters.

  14. #13

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    Another thing to consider if you're not completely happy with the sound of your pickups is volume pot values, as different values affect the resonant frequency of the pickup.

    For volume pots, from softest to brightest, you can choose 250k, 300k, 500k, 1M.

    I'd suggest to measure pots, a 500k pot can fall anywhere between 430k and 580k. Some are very close to 500k, some aren't.



    For even more detail, you can choose a starting point, like a 500k pot, and then use parallel resistors between the hot input (the lug on the pot where the hot wire from the pickup comes in) and ground. A parallel resistor makes a 500k pot behave like a pot with a lower value, for example: 500k pot plus 953k resistor > the pot behaves like a 330k pot.

    On my last partscaster, I used short leads with crocodile clips attached to the volume pot, to try out different values on the fly while playing, to find the best value resistor to solder in. Takes a little time, but definitely worth it. Resistors are very cheap...

    You can find parallel resistance calculators, like this one, on the web, if you want to know how the values add up.




    For dual humbuckers, also check out 50s wiring - which simply means that the tone pot is wired to the volume pot output, rather than input. So, a super simple change, easily reversible, that changes the sound and how the pots behave. I find that some humbucker guitars sound better with 50 wiring, some with modern wiring.

    Explanation and wiring diagrams here.

  15. #14
    I wanted to give an update as I did swap out the Alinco 5 for an Alnico 2 as that was the first and lowest cost option. The pickup sounds much, much better. The boomy bass is gone and the highs are no longer ice-picky. In specs it is actually very similar to a SD Seth Lover so that's also interesting. I'm very happy with this pickup I think I will be keeping it now.

  16. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by chris32895
    I wanted to give an update as I did swap out the Alinco 5 for an Alnico 2 as that was the first and lowest cost option. The pickup sounds much, much better. The boomy bass is gone and the highs are no longer ice-picky. In specs it is actually very similar to a SD Seth Lover so that's also interesting. I'm very happy with this pickup I think I will be keeping it now.
    Really appreciate you coming back to post your solution.